The present invention relates generally to a system for use in on-line research, and more particularly, to a computer system that enables a user to have access to information available via the Internet and other resources in an environment which provides seamless integration of all such information.
The Internet is a connection of many individual campus, state, regional and national computer networks into one single logical network all sharing a common addressing scheme. Most of these networks have publicly accessible information. This information includes electronic journals, mailing lists, electronic books, programs, pictures, encyclopedias and dictionaries and many other resources such as articles and legislative databases just to name a few. Some databases exist solely to archive academic information exchange. These databases and networks house a great deal of information that can be of great benefit to those that have the ability to access it. However, a lack of an easy way to access information has been a bottleneck that has prevented people from utilizing the information.
Users of commercial dial-up services are accustomed to one-stop shopping. These users generally sign on to the service and, through the use of navigation aids, search and retrieve relevant information. These commercial services have navigation aids or programs dedicated to providing easy access to information. These searches, however, are limited to the centralized computer databases of that commercial service or to databases that are connected directly to that service. If the user wants to access information available via the Internet, the user must enter an area that allows access to the Internet via a specialized gateway. These gateways generally require the user to utilize protocols of the Internet, such as FTP, Telnet and USENET, which provide only very basic finctions through a cryptic command format. These functions may include electronic mail file transfer and remote login. Electronic mail allows people to send messages to one or more people, to deliver text files, to retrieve information by automated computer programs like LISTSERV (through a gateway to BITNET), and more. File transfer may occur through a process called file transfer protocol, or FTP. This process allows one to log on to remote computers and use the resources in directories that network administrators have made available to the public to access publicly available documents or programs. Remote login or Telnet, provides the ability to connect to a remote computer and work with it interactively. Through Telnet, one can log into directories of remote computers, such as library catalogs of distant universities, and search for relevant information. During a Telnet session the user's computer serves as a terminal of that remote computer. Each of these programs provide minimal access to focused resources and can be confusing to the user. Moreover, to implement a complete search of information the user must master each method and individually search each service.
The connections provided by Internet access providers generally give few indications to the user about what to do to access information. Most users, log on through a UNIX-based service provider and work with a cryptic prompt. Generally, users see a set of application programs that enable one to use the network. Some of these programs boast the ability to provide easy access to the greatest number of resources, but none provide a method of incorporating all available search programs or resources into one universal resource access system.
The Internet provides the ability to access mailing lists. Mailing lists are subscriber listings of publicly available discussions by people who share common interests. A mailing list is an e-mail address that redistributes all mail sent to it back out to a list of addresses. As an example, those people interested in general information about a subject area may access the mailing list and subscribe to that list that posts messages concerning that subject area. In the future, postings to that list will be sent to that and all other subscribers. The user may then, at his leisure, read all or some of those postings. The user may even reply to a posting by sending a message to all subscribers or to the specific author of the posting. Each mailing list is focused upon a specific hobby or interest area and provides the user with the ability to easily keep up-to-date on a chosen topic.
Similar to mailing hosts, the Internet provides USENET. The USENET is a worldwide network of newsgroups on thousands of subjects which can be accessed by newsreader programs. For commercial dial-up users, USENET newsgroups seem familiar in many ways. They are discussion areas where ideas can be exchanged. A user can post a message on-line and read the responses to it that build up over time. A user can subscribe to a particular newsgroup, page through it using a software reader, organize the messages according to threads, add messages commenting on what people have said, and ask questions.
The Internet provides a program called FTP, or File Transfer Protocol. FTP is a way of sending files between computers. FTP provides interactive capabilities that allow the user to log on to a remote computer and prowl around in its directories to locate a file and have it sent. The process is slow and complex. Unlike commercial services such as CompuServe.RTM., there are few menus to guide the user, and even at the largest archival sites, software can be challenging to locate by type or description. Also unlike commercial services, FTP sites have other purposes for existing. They are working systems that have resources that are not designed for access by the general public and are not "user-friendly." FTP sites do not have easy-to-use interfaces similar to the CompuServe Information Manager.RTM.. There is another difference between commercial on-line service libraries and the FTP sites of the Internet. CompuServe's Forums.RTM. are run by system operators. The system operator keeps a close check on the files uploaded to libraries, to make sure they contain no viruses, to ensure that they work, and to determine that they're worthwhile. They also make sure that the available programs are current versions. Software at FTP sites, on the other hand, may or may not receive this kind of scrutiny.
To improve and simplify access to these files available via FTP an indexing tool called Archie was developed. Archie servers store information on what is available at FTP sites in regularly updated servers. A user can Telnet to an Archie server and search the database. Archie allows searching for entries containing a particular search string, and it can provide other information which can be useful in the search for specific files. Archie also maintains a software description database that holds the names and descriptions of software packages. To obtain the located resource, however, a user must leave Telnet and must set up a FTP session to get the file.
There are other search tools available to the Internet user. These tools include programs called Gopher, WAIS, World Wide Web, Veronica, etc. These programs attempt to address the problem of having a multitude of databases, with multiple redundant files of several versions located around the world. However, even with these tools, a user attempting to locate and download required information has been described as being faced with a task similar to a person trying to find a bathroom in a house with 250,000 unmarked doors. The user will eventually find that file but will be required to spend considerable amounts of time and will be required to have an inordinant amount of patience and persistence.
Gopher allows a user to browse the Internets resources in many forms. Gopher provides a menu of available options and allows the user to access several different services or programs. There are several ways of accessing a gopher server, such as a local client program or via a Telnet session. Gopher clients also provide the ability to search for specified terms. Gopher utilizes Archie to locate files via FTP and is therefore subject to Archie's limitations. Gopher provides abundant materials to search but does not provide an easy method of accessing all materials from one screen.
Another program has been created in an attempt at solving this problem. Veronica provides a keyword search of the titles of Gopher items. Unlike Archie, Veronica provides the ability to directly access and obtain desired files without transferring into FTP.
The Internet offers Wide Area Information Servers, or WAIS, for on-line text searching. A user is permitted to search for a combination of keywords by sending search strings to the appropriate WAIS servers. WAIS locates documents that contain the specified keywords and information is returned in hierarchical order based on frequency of each keyword and the distance between keywords within each document. WAIS is based on the client/server model and allows the user's computer to mimic a client and access the server where the data is stored. WAIS allows the ability to specify multiple databases to be searched sequentially.
The World Wide Web, or WWW, is a hypertext project that links key concepts and thus allows a user to browse resources available on the Internet. WWW is similar to WAIS but utilizes a hypertext system to link documents together. Some WWW browsers use a graphical interface but some utilize a textual interface. In general, users may access a WWW client, select a number that instructs the client to access the document corresponding to the number. In a graphical interface users may simply point and click to move from document to document.
The present invention may provide a means for searching all resources on the Internet with one search command. The present invention may maintain a database of references available from numerous sources on the Internet and provides a method for acquiring those resources. The present invention may update the database periodically to ensure the accuracy and completeness of it. The present invention may have the ability to search through databases constructed using the tools described above either simultaneously or selectively. The present invention may have a modular structure to it that allows for new Internet search and access tools to be added or removed as it is deemed proper. The present invention may provide "one-stop" shopping for researchers that shields users from the intricacies of accessing, searching and retrieving information through numerous methods. Utilizing the present invention the user may, with a single search, acquire a lst of all available resources on a desired topic. The user may then access the information directly through a seamless interface that shields the user from the quirks of various Internet systems.
The present invention may utilize an interactive front-end which serves to obtain the user's request along with pertinent filtering or search miting stipulations. The interactive front-end may then access a search engine to perform the search and then may display the results received from the search engine.
Preferably, the search engine of the present invention performs the information search. It may perform this search by searching a local information repository consisting of database objects representing information from various sources, such as FTP sites and CIS Forums.RTM.. The search engine preferably has the ability to reformat the search request in order to invoke other helper tasks such as a local or remote file finder.
The present invention may utilize an information repository that contains information concerning location. Preferably, the information repository consists of a set of relational database tables defining information source objects. Each object may contain a class, keyword, description, location and other similar data for use in both locating the object in a search and for accessing it if it is selected. Additionally, the information repository may contain subjective evaluations of the quality of information. Preferably, the information repository serves as an intermediate database that will allow a search of information available via the Internet and other sources while not requiring individual searches on the Internet for each access of the information repository. This conserves Internet resources by minimzing the number of accesses by those searching for information. The information repository may be updated periodically and at times when the activity on the Internet is low.
The information repository may be updated by several different update mechanisms. There may be an update mechanism for each source of information which feeds the information repository. For example, general Internet information may be provided via suppliers independent of the entity maintaining the information repository such as the Internet Yellow Pages.COPYRGT.. Additional information may come from local forums or system operators. Mall information may also be provided by product managers or perhaps by merchants. Some mechanisms may be interactive while others might run as background jobs pulling information from remote Internet sites. Each individual mechanism is preferably responsible for converting the information from its raw source into the format required by the information repository.
A library of routines may also be provided to add, delete and maintain entries within the information repository.
In general, the present invention provides the ability to search and access information across the Internet and other sources with one search request. Thereby obviating the need to search using several separate search programs and accessing several different databases. The present invention also provides seamless integration of all Internet resources. The user of the present invention need not know where the information is located or how it was accessed.
These and other advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, drawings, and claims.